Roller screen



NOV. 7, 1933. C. TRAUT 1,934,103

ROLLER SCREEN Original Filed March 5, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY NOV. 7, 1933. C, TRAUT 1,934-,l03

ROLLER SCREEN Original Filed March 5, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Nov. 7, 1933 s UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ROLLER SCREEN Clifford Traut, Newport, Ky., assigner to The Higgin Manufacturing Company, Newport, Ky., Y a corporation of West Virginia 4 claims. (o1. 156-39) This application is a division of my application Serial No. 344,470, iiled March 5,-1929, for Patent No. 1,867,391, issued July l2, 1932 and is directed to the mechanism illustrated in that application.

My invention relates to roller screens of the type which are set into a window With separate guide channels for the screen wire, and a suitable box or compartment housed inone end of the frame, in which is located a roller on which the screen cloth is wound. l k

,In those structures for the purpose of providing roller screens with which I am familiar, there is usually some provision for freedom of play oi the side guides in which the screen end is mount-l ed, or some play in the guide shoes on the end bar, which are held within the guides. This is the practice because of requirements that the screen retain its freedom of movement, in spite oi inaccuracies oi original structure, or inaccuracies arising because of changes arising after the screen has been installed.

One oi the objects of my present invention i to provide a side guide structureand a type of guide shoe to be retained thereby, wherein the guide shoe has freedom of play in its engagement with the guide, and in which theshoe engagement is Vsuchv that this does not result inmaking it possible to jam the screen by moving the end bar to a cocked position in the frame of the Window. y

Another objeet'of my invention is to provide a type of guide shoe which will retain a considerable width of the wire of the screen, so that when the guide shoes `are located in theV side guides, there. is a considerable portion of the wire, held within the guidesv by the shoes. The

Vresult or this arrangement is that the screen wre will be free to move in and out of the. guides under wind pressure o1' accidental blows, but the limit of any expected movement of this type will never be enough to force the screen wire itself entirely out oi the guides.

Another object of my invention is to provide in connection with the side guidesfor a mode of securing them to the wire Aroll retaining box, so as to assure a good alignment oiA the mouth of the box and the side guides.

Another object of my. invention Yis the provision oi a modiiied form of mounting the roller for the screen wire in the box, so as to support yit readily, permit of easy assembling, and permit of adjustment of the spring for the roller in a simple operation.

Corollary to the last noted object is an avoidouter angle.

ance of the use of recessed ends tothe roller box, and thus avoidingthe necessity of adjustments in order to permit the screen wire and the roller to be properly adjusted to the shape and size of the box.

Finally, the side guide arrangement, according to my invention is' one in which provision `of l a factory prepared slot or notch for the locking of the end bar of the screen is unnecessary, the object being to permit the installer to make a o5 notch with a iile which will serve the purpose desired. I thus avoid-the necessity of providing for an -extensible'side guide element in order to be assured that the `end bar will be latched in a position 'snugly against the window sill. '10

I accomplish my objects by that certain construction and arrangement of parts to be here- Vguide shoe on the line 4-4 of Figure 1.

Figure 5 isa perspective of one of the end S5 plates for the roller box.

Figure 6 is a like view of the washer for holding one end of the-roller shaft. v

Figure Tis a like view of the shaft mounting, and latching thimble. Y'

Figure 8 is a like view of the roller box'turned Von its side.-

Figure 10 is a perspective Yof one form of bottom 95 or end bar. y

Figure l1 is a perspective of' a side guide element. Figure 12 is a perspective of the second thimble.-

I have indicated a Windowframe with Vside stiles 1, a sill 2, and a cap 3.v Within a boarded a perspective of one of the guide spacebeneath thecap is secured a boxfor the vrollingscreen, which screen when unrolled and drawn down will cover the opening of the frame. .105 The box is formed of apiece of sheet metal y formed into a hollow rectangular structure 4,

with a lengthwise narrow opening 5, at its lower In the lower Wall of the box, close to the vend andto the opening 5; ears 6 are cut 110 out and turned down so as to be engaged by the side guides as will be noted.

The ends of the box are formed of hanged plates 7, with a central dished portion 7a, having a central holeor orifice 7b. Tongues 8 are stamped up at two points in the dished portion. This may be done in both end plates, although the tongues are required in but one of them.

The ends of the rectangular structure are provided with tongues 9, which extend through slots 10 in the end plates, and in assembling the structure the end plates are set with their anges over the ends of the box and with the tongues extending through the slots and turned over. (Figures 2 and 3.)

The screen 11 is wound upon a roller 11a of cylindrical shape, having plates 12 near its ends, which have central holes to support a shaft 13. The shaft is slotted at one end as at 14, and squared at the other as at 15. A spring 16 is wound around theA shaft and engaged in the slotted end. It is also engaged in a disc 17,

'which slides along the shaft and has a notch therein to engage a lengthwise depression or channel 18 in the roller. The spring is thus secured to the shaft and to a member Which'slidably engages the interior of the roller, so that by holding the shaft in position'and revolving the roller, the spring Will be compressed, as in any shade roller construction.

. I provide, for supporting the shaft in one of thev end pieces, a thimble 19, having spaced flanges 20. The thimble has a square slot in it as at 2l,.to engage the squared end of the shaft.

In assembling the device, the roller, spring, and 'shaft are assembled and set into the box, whereupon the end plates are set in place. The winding and latching thimble is thrust through the hole in the one end plate, so as to engage `thevsquared end of the shaft and so that its anges lie in the dished portion of the end plate. The other vend of the shaft, Where it extends through the other end plate inserted through a thimble 19a welded into the end plate and the slotted end of the shaft is tted with a washer 22, y(Fig..6) which has-internal tongues 23, that engagethe slot of Athe shaft. The washer is broughtdown against the base of thetubular l ened however, the flanges of the thimblewill catch under the tongues, thus locking the shaft lagainst,,decompression movement.

The roller spring structure above described is `shownvand claimed in my copending application for Letters Patent Serial No. 315,694, filed Oct. 29, 1928. An analogous roller shaft locking structure is shown in Letters Patent No. 1,766,746, issued yJune 24, 1930, to William `F. Heckman.

`In order to provide for side guides, and to engage and move `the screen across the `window opening, I provide lthe screen itself with an end bar, and mount on the window frame guides which co-operate Awith shoes on the end bar.

The' guides are formed of one Vor more pieces of metal havingan attaching ilange 24, and at right angles thereto spaced sidewalls 25, 25, with the ends of the walls turned in to form a pair of .through the ears and through the wire.

spaced guide walls 26, 26, spaced from the side walls 25. In other forms the flange 24, may be an extension of one of the side walls, instead of at right angles.

The guides, one on each side of the window, are'screwed against the side stiles of the frame, so that presented at the upper ends of the guides are the flanges or plates 27, upon which the roller box rests. These plates extend across the space between the side walls and the attaching ange, and have a slot 28 in them. The slots 28 receive lips 6A turned down from the forward corners of the box, thereby exactly locating the box with relation to the guides, so that the opening between the guide walls of the guides registers with the mouth of the box. The plates 27 may be integral or welded tothe guides.

The bottom end of the screen is equipped with an end bar, which may be of any type. I have shown a structure formed out of sheet metal having a base flange 30, spaced side walls 31, and a central depressed portion 32, terminating in a tubular channel. The lower end of the screen, thickened with a wire or rod, can be fed into engagement with the bar by inserting thev thickened end into the channel 32, and drawing the bar across the wire.

Into the open ends of the end bar, or secured in another desired way are the guide shoes. These are shown as having spaced arms 33, for inserting into the guide bar, where they are secured fast in place, as with screws, or by welding. When made of one piece of metal the arms 33 are connected together at the bottom.

.Extending from the arms are web portions 33a, which are close enough together to pass through the space between the guide walls of the side guide bars. The web portions are then turned back in the form of flanges 34, such that the 'anges will hook over and ride upon the inner T115 faces of the guide walls of the side guides, as shown.

The upper edges of the guide shoes structure are open, and the screen Wire is longer than the `end bar and extendsL out laterally, being .held-1 within the guide shoes. To the end of securing the wire in place in the guide shoes, ears 35, 35, are turned up, and screws or the like are passed These shoes as not to interfere with the inner edges of the guide walls of the side guides.

Mounted within the shoes are bolts 36, which slide lengthwise, and are longer than the kportion 33 of the shoes so that they extend into the end bar structure. They are equipped with 'nger pieces 37 which extend out through slots 38 in the end bar. The tips of the latch bars are bevelled to an angular point, and lie in holes 38' `which are formed in the edges of the portions 33 With springs 40 urging the latch bolts outwardly (partially shown) the bolts will act as a brake to prevent too rapid movement of the screen in the guides.

It will be noted that the proportionate size of the several shoes and guide parts are such that the shoes when in place in the guides will have some play, endwise of the end bar of the screen, and crosswise of the window frame.

However, due to the four surfaces of engagement between the parts, and the curved shape of the inner ends of the shoes, there is no danger of cooking the end bar during the operation of the screen and thus wedging it into a jammed position.

The play is not enough to permit the shoes to become jammed, and yet is enough to permit of sufcient lateral play to take up variations due to expansion and contraction, and errors which might be present in the window frame in which the screen is arranged.

A description of the operation of the screen will not be required. When the shoes are inserted in the guides, and the guides set into place, and connected by the end bar, the screen will lie Within the side guides, and when fully Withdrawn from the box Will entirely close the window.

Wind pressure will not force the screen out of the guides, since the structure is such that a considerable width of screen lies Within the guides.

Having thus described my invention, What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:-

l. In a roller screen construction, a roller housing formed of sheet metal and having a mouth for passage of screen fabric along one edge thereof, metallic side guides for said fabric, and means for interengagement between the guides and the housing to insure proper tracking of the fabric comprising tongues projecting down rom the housing, and slotted horizontally disposed plate portions on the upper ends of the guide, said tongues passing through the slots.

2. In a roller screen the combination of a box serving as a housing for a roller, av spring roller therein, a shaft for said roller, and means in the box for supporting the shaft and holding it against revolution by the spring roller, comprising a tubular element arranged with a squared aperture in one end for engaging and supporting a squared end of the shaft, said element having flange means at the other end which lie against the outside of an end wall of the box, means on the said wall of the box having a ratchet engagement with said flange means, said wall having a hole through which the said tubular element passes.

3. In a roller screen the combination of a box serving as a housing for a roller, a spring roller therein, a shaft for said roller, and means in the box for supporting the shaft and holding it against revolution by the spring roller, comprising a tubular element arranged with a squared aperture in one end for engaging and supporting a squared end of the shaft, said element having flange means at the other end which lie against the outside of an end Wall of the box, means on the said Wall of the box having a ratchet engagement with said flange means, said Wall having a hole through which the said tubular element passes, the said end Wall also having a countersink therein for the area of engagement by the said flange means.

4. In a roller screen the combination of a box serving as a housing for a roller, a spring roller therein, a shaft for said roller, and means in the box for supporting the shaft and holding yit against revolution by the spring roller, comprising a tubular element arranged with a squared aperture in one end for engaging and supporting a squared end of the shaft, said element having flange means at the other end which lie against vthe outside of an end Wall of the box, means on the said Wall of the box having an engagement with said ange means, said Wall having a hole through which the said tubular element passes.

CLIFFORD TRAUT. 

